Elf
Overview Elves are naturally an adaptive race and have fared better than most others on Zendikar. They are the most prevalent race in the region of Murasa and have a strong presence in other regions such as Bala Ged. They mainly inhabit villages suspended from the treetops, building small villages in the tangled jungles that wind through the narrow lowlands of the hilly interior. Other elves use their culture of living life out on the limb to reside in cliff dwellings cantilevered against rock faces. Zendikar's elves are risk takers by nature. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is a sentiment of the elves would approve. They're not usually foolhardy, but their lifestyles have made them almost fearless in the face of danger. They use this clarity of thought during trouble to take calculated risks, often astonishing other races with the results. For an elf, surviving and thriving are deeply interdependent, and you can see this worldview in their daily lives. An elf rarely lacks the equipment for any task that might arise during the day, whether it's dispersing voor slug infestation or climbing a cliff. What an elf lacks for in preparation, he makes up for with improvisation and quick thinking. It's no surprise that elves are prized by explorers as guides regardless of the terrain or their knowledge of it. Using zip-lines and expert climbing techniques, the elves fearlessly span the gaps between branches or cliff faces. Indeed, some of the branch paths elves take are impassable without their guidance and skills, as they often leap breaches and climb hidden trails. Of course, to benefit from the elf's skill and wisdom a potential employer must be quick enough to keep up. Elves are notorious for thinking of their own survival first and expecting others to do the same. What's notable about elvish religion is the lack of it, even in the face of Zendikar's many unexplained phenomena. The elves know that ghosts and spirits exist and can affect the material world. But they ascribe no transcendental significance to this fact. They know of the Roil, but to them it's simply the way of things. If the elves have a religion at all, it's to associate the strangeness and deadliness of Zendikar with a sensation of time dilation, both in the expanded and contracted directions — the elves' own long lives make it seem natural that past generations should live among us (albeit in ghostly form) as well as that the land itself should change from time to time (even in a single day). Society Elves have small village clans that include everyone allowed to live in the settlement. Leadership is decentralized and communal, although those with a combination of age and the relevant skills associated with a given decision tend to take the lead. In mixed-race settlements, non-elves are often inducted into the clan or become de facto members but tend to be gently encouraged to live at the periphery of the settlement. Overall, elvish social organization reflects their high degree of self-sufficiency. Individuals are expected to look after their own needs first and foremost, then their families, and finally the clan at large. =Elves of Zendikar= Most clans are part of one of the three major elvish nations (although "nation" is used loosely here, more to refer to regional populations than to any coherent structure). Clans act like individuals, with clan speakers focusing first on what is best for their clans and neighboring or allied clans while trying to balance their needs with those of other clans. This self-centered focus can lead to divisiveness within the nations, but the elvish propensity to take surprising risks often causes clans to lend their support to the nation at crucial moments. Tajuru The Tajuru nation is the largest of the three main nations, counting among its number hundreds of far-flung clans across Murasa and other parts of Zendikar. The Tajuru are the most open to people of other races, seeing their skills and perspectives as valuable new tools for survival. Tajuru elves are also more open to new lifestyles, be it living in a mountaintop citadel or roaming grassy plains. Mul Daya This secretive nation of elves have an unusual speaker, Hazzan, an ancient elf who follows the cryptic edicts of a centuries-old elvish ghost called Obuun. Hazzan claims the ghost occupies a wooden throne entwined in vines and bark. Now speaker Hazzan sits in the throne to channel Obuun and address the Mul Daya nation. The elves of Mul Daya often give precedence to their speaker's commands immediately after their own survival, which other elves view as a fanatical perversion of elvish culture. Joraga The elves of the imperious Joraga nation have little respect for any other race of Zendikar or for other elves. They see the survival of their nation as most important, and they view the influence of others as a weakness and jealously guard their traditions. The Joraga eschew the goods and habits of others, even avoiding the pathways blazed by the Tajuru when possible. Many view their nomadic clans as little more than bands of roving murderers, but a complex culture hides behind their aggressive exterior. Elves of the Joraga tribe honor druidic power and physical prowess, and their society mixes these pursuits into a single tradition of jungle mysticism.